Tuesday, 3 February 2009

The Two "Missing" PKR Perak State Assemblymen are Tainted Goods. Let Them Go

The Election Commission says it cannot call for by-elections in Perak because there are doubts over the validity of the resignation letters of Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Changkat Jering assemblyman Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu.

It’s clear that at the moment, the two have no intention of resigning from their respective state assembly seats and I think we should leave it at that, as far as their status as assemblymen goes.Leave it alone, I say.

Here Is Why

If Najib manages to lure Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman to cross over to UMNO, then let them go. Pakatan Rakyat would still have a majority in the house.

In any case, Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman are likely to defect only AFTER their trial ends.

If the court finds the two guilty of corruption, then by-elections will probably need to be held, and Pakatan Rakyat will have a good opportunity to win the seats.

If they are found not guilty, or if the charges against them are dropped, Pakatan Rakyat wins the perception battle because people will think, rightly or wrongly, that UMNO used dirty tactics to get Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman off the hook.

As it stands, the two are not exactly the sort of politicians who would have high public approval ratings.

Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman are tainted goods, and all Pakatan Rakyat needs to do now is say that if UMNO wants them, it can have them.

AND HERE’S another thing.

There are people who see the defections as a GOOD thing for UMNO but fear that Pak Lah will get all the credit.

These people are really out of touch.

I don’t think you want to bring out the kompang and bunga manggar for defectors like Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman:

… a poll by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research … [involving] 1,018 participants … revealed that 98% of the public will NOT tolerate politicians involved in corruption …Read here for more

Of course, Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman are innocent until proven guilty, but tell that to the likes of Mat Taib and Rahim Thamby Chik.

If anybody’s been busy trying to instigate crossovers, it’s Anwar and this guy:

Former deputy defence minister Zainal Abidin Zin today confirmed that he took PKR Ipoh Barat Division Head, Fauzi Muda, to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s official residence in Putrajaya last March.Fauzi Muda told the press that he was offered RM50 million as a reward if he could get two Pakatan Rakyat representatives in the state to cross over to Barisan Nasional. He also claimed that he was approached again several months later for the same task, but this time the reward was slashed to RM5 million per person.Fauzi signed a statutory declaration detailing what transpired during the meeting.Read here in Malaysiakini for more